A: I have been with Northwell Health via Huntington Hospital since 1981 (35 years), in a variety of capacities, beginning as a Registered Nurse, then working my way up to a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Critical Care, Critical Care Director, Electrophysiology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. Three years ago, I became the Corporate Director for Advanced Practice Nurses at Northwell Health, and since have been balancing that role as well as allocating a portion of my time as an Electrophysiology Nurse Practitioner.

Q: What does the Nurse Practitioners Council do for our NP’s within the system?

A: Our System NP Director’s Council meets monthly for 2 hours, provides an avenue for advocacy and communication from all of the systems Nurse Practitioners to our leadership. Maximizing the ability of the NP’s to practice to the top of their licensure is the vision and goal of our leaders. The Mission of the System NP Director’s Council is to be the voice of the advanced practice professional, while promoting the highest standards of evidence based, patient centered, quality care. Supporting and promoting excellence in leadership and professional growth within the advanced practice profession is also one of our main priorities.

Q: Can you talk about the opportunities for NP’s throughout our health system?

A: There are multiple opportunities in innovative work environments for the Advanced Practice Nurses at Northwell Health in both the inpatient and outpatient settings – ranging from e-ICU, telestroke, telepsychiatry, to robotic surgery and our newly growing LVAD impantation HF program, liver transplant program, the outpatient Housecalls and Care Solutions team. The opportunities for advanced practice Nurses here are endless – one can create their own vision, construct a viable business plan and strategy, and their dream can come true. Innovative care models are popping up everywhere – advanced illness programs, palliative/ hospice care, acute stepdown units, outpatient clinics/ programs, perioperative NP oversight, which are all NP managed and run. Assessing metrics such as length of stay, infection rates, skin ulcers, CAUTI, VTE occurrences, patient/ family satisfaction, and team communication are amongst the measurements where we shine.

Q: What role do NP’s play here at our hospitals and facilities?

A: The role of NP’s here is directed North – leading the way in independent and innovative practice and patient centered care. Our NP’s serve as advocates for our patients and families, conduits for change and strong collaboration and communication amongst physicians and other health care providers, engaging referrals whenever needed to optimize patient outcomes, and safe efficient transitions throughout the health care continuum.

Q: Why is Northwell special?

A: Our Nurse Practitioner’s are the voice of the patient and families – listening, assessing, prescribing, referring, optimizing, performing, and embracing technological advances in care for the prime focus of utilizing time management and efficiency for what matters most, the patient! Northwell is special because our leadership and supportive administration enables EVERY advanced practice nurse to have a voice. They listen to the staff, and have teams of individuals who evaluate Employee Engagement results, working on plans for success and targeting those areas of deficiencies to improve both employee and patient satisfaction. The wealth of educational and participative opportunities abounds – all one needs to do is have an idea and implement it. We at Northwell provide every advanced practitioner with a professional identity and ongoing professional development that makes us the employer of choice. Interprofessional quality, safety, and the optimal patient experience is a core tenant for our staff to achieve. Our goal is to foster a singular vision for the health system with the ultimate goal of creating a pathway for every Advanced Clinical Provider to work to the top of their license, and have a voice!

Q: What would you like to say to our NP employees during recognition week?

A: I would like to say THANK YOU for your engagement, enthusiasm, support, and true commitment to high quality, safe, patient centered care. Our time in advanced practice is now – we need to create our destiny in impacting health care, or someone else will do it for us. Get involved with your professional associations, legislative updates, and have a voice in effecting positive change for our providers and patients. The future holds promise and ongoing growth for our significant role in advancing advanced practice nursing. As we celebrate National Nurse Practitioner Week, look at how far we have come, but most importantly – look North – to where we are leading the way in health care transformation.

Ever wonder what nursing opportunities we have within our community hospitals? As one of the nation’s largest and most respected health systems, Northwell Health takes pride in the care it gives throughout each community. Learn about two of our Joint Commission recognized hospitals and how you can become part of their expanding team of nurses.

Plainview Hospital

This 204-bed teaching hospital delivers high quality care to the dynamic communities of eastern Nassau County and is expanding their cardiac unit. This team features a multidisciplinary approach to patient care and their highly respected nurses play an integral role in each patient’s experience. Every shift, nurses collaborate with Physicians, Case Managers, Social Workers, Dietitians and Physical Therapists to advocate for each of their patients. The telemetry unit has a 24/7 telemetry technician and their patients enjoy single bedded rooms. We are proud to boast a very high retention rate for our nursing staff.

A major perk working for Plainview Hospital – flexible scheduling. Their nurses work 13 days out of a 28 day period and are at liberty to self-schedule their shifts to meet their lifestyle and needs.

“We work as a family here. There is clear, hands-on leadership within every department. Every day I go to the units and help as much as I can.” – Tom Luzzi, Director of Patient Care Services, Medicine/ Surgery/ Telemetry

Syosset Hospital

At Syosset Hospital, all of their units have nurses that are certified in a particular area of nursing. This 103-bed community hospital, home to the Orthopaedic Center of Excellence, the Davis Vision Eye Surgery Center and the Interventional Pain Management Center, is continually enhancing their capabilities to deliver outstanding care and is actively working on increasing certifications to continue to achieve accreditation’s. It is a close community between staff and a valued team approach, while the leadership throughout the building is always known to be supportive and constantly present in the activities within the building.

A few more facts about Syosset Hospital:

They have a Behavioral Health unit with 20 beds specializing in Psychiatric care

They have a 32-bed med surg unit that is predominately orthopedic based care with some medical patients mixed in (This unit is primarily used for the Syosset Orthopedic Program which is one of their Centers of Excellence)

They have a 15-bed medicine/telemetry unit

They have an 8-bed ICU unit that cares for critical vented and step down patients

They have a 10-bed emergency department

Register to attend our upcoming interview day to join one of our nursing teams at Plainview Hospital or Syosset Hospital.

Read about Samantha Rosario’s experience within the Military, and how our Barracks to Business Workshop prepared her for a career at Northwell Health.

Written by: Samantha Rosario

Each branch of the military bears a massive responsibility when training new soldiers. New recruits are trained in hand-to-hand combat, at the weapons range, and how to work together as a cohesive team. Preparedness of soldiers is essential to ensure not only a victory for the mission, but God-willing, a safe return for everyone. Once the solider has returned and his/her term is complete, it is almost as if the weight of responsibility has lifted off the branch’s shoulders and soldiers are given minimal training in their next mission in life, transition to the civilian world.

Barracks

Family

Barracks

Home

A popular myth, and one I foolishly believed, was that finding a job, as a veteran, was going to be easy because employers love the skills and discipline veterans possess. While employers appreciate those traits, the real issue is if the applicant cannot communicate his/her skills on a resume. Northwell has recognized this dilemma and has committed itself to be the standard in job preparation training. Over the summer, I was lucky enough to attend one of these training seminars, entitled Barracks to Business, led by Anthony Silvera. During the course of 4 hours, I was challenged to clarify my skillset and experiences, determined my career goals, learned the importance of a job description and gained confidence for an interview. The success stories were inspiring and newly gained knowledge felt invigorating; that night I started revising my resume and focusing on finding a career within Northwell. One of the most significant aspects of seminar was the support given after it ended and with the support of Mr. Silvera and his team, I eventually gained employment with Northwell. I am honored to work for an organization that dedicates so many resources to serve the needs of our country’s veterans and look forward to doing great things in my new role.

Are you, or someone you know, a Veteran who is looking to build their professional skill set?

From pre-med to Financial & Operations Management Senior Associate, Adam moved from Chicago to New York to began his career at Northwell Health as Healthcare Management Program intern. His experience as an intern opened his eyes to health care and his experience solidified his decision to accept a full time position post graduation in the administration department at North Shore University Hospital.

Read Adam’s Q&A about being an HMP intern, now HMP mentor, and how the program was a foundation for his career.

Why did you want to participate in the Healthcare Management Program (HMP) and how did you hear about it?

When I began my undergraduate studies at Union College, my initial plans had been to pursue the pre-med track, with the ultimate goal of one day becoming a Physician. Upon taking Intro to Chemistry during one of my first classes at Union, and seeing the grade that I received at the end of the term, I quickly realized that this path would not be for me! Fast forward to my junior year, by that time a declared political science major, I remained eager to find opportunities and experiences that would allow me to pursue a role in healthcare, but in a non-clinical capacity.

While the majority of my internship search efforts were focused on opportunities related to health care policy, I stumbled upon a unique internship experience that was offered by Northwell Health (formerly North Shore-LIJ Health System). The Healthcare Management Program at Northwell Health is an internship designed to provide students with first-hand knowledge and insight into the field of healthcare administration. This seemed far-removed from my initial interests in policy, but also a far destination for a student originally from Chicago.

After speaking with members of the Northwell team, that unbeknownst to me would soon become my colleagues and mentors; I realized that applying to the Healthcare Management Program would be the perfect opportunity to explore my interests in the healthcare field. By participating in the Healthcare Management Program I could fuse my interests in healthcare, business, and policy in a way that no other program or opportunity could provide.

Can you tell us about your experience in the internship?

As a participant in the Healthcare Management Program I developed the skills required to succeed in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. The internship provided me with an opportunity to explore the field of hospital administration through real project work lead by executive mentors. From the relationships that I developed, to the foundational knowledge gained in both analytics and project management, the internship was a phenomenal experience for my professional growth. Furthermore, the opportunity to learn from, and engage with, executive leadership, clinical leadership, and others, afforded me a unique perspective into the daily roles and responsibilities of healthcare administrators. By gaining exposure to world-class professionals, combined with challenging and exciting project work, the Healthcare Management Program reaffirmed my passion for health care, but more importantly, the experience served as the onramp for my career in health care administration.

After participating in the HMP, what made you decide to take a full time position at Northwell Health in our Management Associate Program as a Financial & Operations Management Associate?

Through my participation in the Healthcare Management Program I gained the skills necessary to be able to succeed in a dynamic professional landscape. As a result, many of the tools that I developed in the internship provided me with the ability to engage with a variety of different organizations, including financial ones, about potential career opportunities. Although I was intrigued by entry-level positions offered by the other companies, I realized that these institutions could never offer the one component of working in health care that I enjoyed the most: the opportunity to impact the life of a patient.

My decision to join this organization in the Management Associate Program (MAP) was made for that simple reason: to wake up each morning knowing that in some way shape or form I could impact the life of another. The passion that I felt to continue to grow in the organization that had paved my professional foundation, combined with a desire to pursue a career in healthcare was the two main contributing factors towards my decision of joining the Management Associate Program.

How was it mentoring an HMP intern this summer after going through the program yourself?

After having been a participant in the program myself, the opportunity to mentor three Healthcare Management Program interns this summer was a phenomenal experience for me both professionally and personally. From a professional standpoint, just as the Healthcare Management Program provided me with an opportunity to learn a skill set in analytics and project management, mentoring students this summer allowed me to develop my own management skills and style. It was a great experience to be able to train others on the same tools that I had been taught when I had gone through the program just a few years prior.

On a personal level, the investment that I had in the program as a former participant made the dedication level to the success of the internship experience that much higher. My goal for the summer was to ensure that the students had as beneficial of an experience as I had, if not better. As one of their mentors, I wanted to provide them with as many opportunities to develop their skill set, form professional relationships, as well as encourage them to cultivate the same passion for health care that I had gained during my own internship experience. The mentorship experience was tremendously rewarding and I am glad that as a former participant I had the opportunity to help others begin their own professional journeys.

Our 2017 Healthcare Management Program is now open for submission. Become part of our 61,000 strong and submit your resume today.